Heretofore chlorination has been designated as the most reliable water disinfection method and is liable to remain so for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, in view of the presence of organic compounds in many water sources, chlorination presents the danger of the formation of toxic or carcinogenic substances. Work has, therefore, been directed to seeking alternative modes of drinking water disinfection A general alternate approach involves strong modes of oxidation for example the use of ozone or the use of ultraviolet radiation. Another oxidizing approach involves the use of the oxidizing power of polyhalide species absorbed on strong base ion exchange resins. These polyhalide counterions release free halogens or hypohalous acids which destroy harmful organisms. Unfortunately, the most effective of these polyhalide species contain iodine, e.g. in the form of the triiodide ion, which is undesirable with respect to dietary intake for certain groups of the population.
A different class of compounds namely the soluble quaternary ammonium salts colloquially known as Quats have been suggested for emergency disinfection of drinking water supplies and, because of their low toxicity for mammals, have been utilized as sanitizers in commercial applications. Because of some inappropriate application of Quats, despite their apparent combination of effectiveness and harmlessness they have fallen into disrepute among medical practitioners, and are now not utilized for the emergency disinfection of drinking water supplies.
It has been postulated that if the soluble Quats could be insolubilized in a procedure which involved stable chemical bonding to an insoluble carrier while retaining their disinfectant qualities a desirable product might be obtained.